Tire cord and method of making same



J. A. SWINEHART.

TIRE CORD AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION- FILED MAY 14, 1918.

1,437,870, Patented Dec. 5,1922.

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fliiorney Patented Dec. h, W22.

eaten JAMES A. SWINEHART; 0F AKRON, OHIO.

TIRE CORD AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

Application filed may H,

To all whom-it may concem:

Be it known that T, JAMES A. SWINEHAR'I, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tim Cords and Methods of Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved tire cord and method of making the same.

Heretofore a frictioned or rubber-coated fabric has been made comprising a series of parallel threads of fine twisted strands, a few light cross-threads being preferably woven at intervals in the fabric. This fabric is then divided into strips and the strands twisted spirally into a round tire cord. v i

The object of my invention is to provide a tire cord or cord like member formed from the herein before mentioned fabric or from regularl woven tire fabric in which the longitudinally extending strands will re; tain their parallelism as distinguished from twisted strands;

In thev accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a strip of fabric partly broken away showing a portion thereof rolled to form my improved tire cord;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a sheet or strip of regularly woven tire fabric.

In practice I take a strip of fabric 1 as illustrated in Fi re 1, or the regularly woven fabric of igure 3 formed of longitudinally extending parallel threads or war 2 of fine twisted threads and cross threa s or woof 3. The threads or woof 3 (Figure 1) are comparatively light and are arranged at intervals and in Figure 3 the warp and woof is equally spaced and of same size. Both fabrics are coated on one side with a layer of soft rubber f. The reverse side of the fabric may or may not be covered with a relatively lighter coatingof rubber. The fabric 1 is preferably made in wide sheet form from which strips may be readily severed but may be made in the form of rela tively narrow strips as illustrated in the drawings, which will when rolled produce a tire cord of the desired diameter.

The strip of fabric 1 is folded longitudinally as at 5, but of course throughout the entire length of the strip. That is to say,

1918. Serial No. 234,419.

the narrow strip is folded into a circle as shown in Fig. 2 by bringing thread 2 at one edge into parallel engagement with the thread 2 at the opposite edge of the strip. Then this folded product is rolled to round it and compactly compress the rubber core and cause the threads to adhere to each other through the rubber which s ueezes out be tween the threads as it is 1:0 led, making a homogeneous tire cord the threads or warp 2 of which all lie in a parallel plane one to the other and at right angles to the light crossthreads or woof 3.

In tire formation it is necessary to contract the fabric at the inner circumference ofthe tire and to stretch or widen out the same at its outer circumference or periphcry. I have found that this desideratum or necessity is obtained by rolling the threads or warp 2 into cord formation to a greater degree than where the fabric is twisted thus distorting the threads to spiral shape or form. I

While I have found that I can employ the conventional regularly woven fabric {Figure 3) to good advantage when the latter is folded or rolled according to my method as distinguished from the twisting operation or step hereinbefore mentioned much better results are obtained from. the use of the fabric illustrated in Figure 1. y

Having thus described .m'y invention, what I claim is:

1. A tire cord comprising a strip of fabric of parallel rubber-coated threads formed in a clrcle parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis of the cord.

2. A tire cord comprising a strip of fabric of fine twisted rubber coated threads formed in a circle, the threads being parallel to.

each other and to the longitudinal axis of the cord and the rubber coating rolled together within the circle.

3. A round tire cord comprising a single circle of rubber coated threads, each thread being fine and twisted and extending longitudinally on straight lines parallel with the other threads and the longitudinal axis of the cord, the combined rubber coatin for all the threads forming a cushioning roll within the circle.

4-. A method of producing a tire cord comprising the step of rolling a predeten mined number of parallel strands of line twisted threads and facing of rubber into circle the rubber on the inside of the circle and with the threads parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis. of the cord.

5. A tire cord comprising a strip of fabric made of fine twisted warp threads and fine twisted woof threads, the Woof threads being spaced apart a greater distance than the warp threads, and \faced on one side with a layer of rubber and formed into a circle with the warp threads on straight parallel lines to each other and to the longitudinal axisof the cord and with the woof threads encircling the rubber.

6. A method of producing a round tire cord consisting in the step of rolling a narrow strip of tire fabric and a layer of rubber into a circle and wlththe opposite longitudinal edges of the strip in contiguous parallel uniting relation parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cord and with the rubber rolled together in binding union on the inside thereof.

7. A tire cord comprising a circle of a plural number of twisted threads of fibrous material extending on straight parallel lines with each other and to the longitudinal'axis of the cord and surrounding a central binding and cushioning core of rubber.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. SWINEHART. Witnesses:

EDNA JAMES SHEEHY, KATHRINE L. MILLS. 

